Our Keynote Speakers:

Fr Richard Leonard SJ

Fr Richard Leonard SJ

Fr Richard Leonard is a Jesuit priest. He has degrees in arts and education, as well as a Master’s degree in theology. Fr Richard did graduate studies at the London Film School and has a PhD from the University of Melbourne. He directs the Australian Catholic Office for Film & Broadcasting, is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Catholic University and has been a visiting scholar within the School of Theatre, Film & Television at UCLA and a Visiting Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Fr Richard has served on juries at the Venice, Berlin, Warsaw, Hong Kong, Montreal, Brisbane and Melbourne International Film Festivals and he has lectured on faith and culture all over the world.

He is the author of:The Mystical Gaze of the Cinema: the Films of Peter Weir;Movies That Matter: Reading Film Through the Lens of Faith;Preaching to the Converted;Where the Hell is God? which has gone on to become an international bestselling religious title. Why Bother Praying? which was awarded a 2013 Excellence in Publishing Award from the US Association of Catholic PublishersWhat are we waiting for? Reflections for Advent and ChristmasWhat Are We Doing On Earth For Christ’s Sake? was released in March 2015.What are we hoping for? Reflections for Lent & Easter was released in February 2016.

Professor Abdullah Saeed is currently the Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies and Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities. Among his publications are: Reading the Qur'an in the Twenty First Century (2014); Islam and Human Rights (edited, 2012), Islamic Political Thought and Governance (edited, 2011); The Qur'an: An Introduction (2008); Interpreting the Qur'an: Towards a Contemporary Approach (2006), Islamic Banking and Interest (1999); Islam in Australia (2003); Freedom of Religion, Apostasy and Islam (co-authored, 2004).

Professor Abdullah Saeed works closely with various national and international organsiations and contributes to their projects relating to Islam and Islamic thought. He is currently a member of the UNESCO Commission of Australia of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Australia. He contributes to print and electronic media on Islamic issues. He has a wide range of professional and research relationships around the world, and is on the editorial board of several international refereed journals. He is also well-known for his inter-faith activities in Australia and overseas. He was awarded Order of Australia (AM) in 2013.

Dr Rachael Kohn

Dr Rachael Kohn

Dr Rachael Kohn was born in Canada. Originally from Slovakia, her father and mother (from Bohemia) fled the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia to settle in Israel in 1949, moving to Canada in 1952. Kohn was awarded a Diploma in Social Work from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, then achieved an Hon.B.A. in Sociology and Religion at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She then earned an M.A. (Rabbinic Thought and the New Testament) and a Ph.D. (Sociology and History of Religion) in Religious Studies from Canada's McMaster University. For both degrees she also studied Buddhism. She taught religious studies at McMaster University in Canada, at Lancaster University in England, where she was Leverhulme Post-Doctoral Fellow in Religious Studies. She also taught Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo, and then at the University of Sydney (1988–1992). Moving to Australia after marrying an Australian man, she then joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in 1992.

Since 1992 Kohn has presented and produced programs on Religion and Spirituality for ABC Radio National, beginning with Religion Report, Religion Today, and since 1997, The Spirit of Things. She has also produced award winning features for Encounter as well as two part television documentaries on The Dead Sea Scrolls (2000) and on Buddhism East and West (2001) as well as Paws for Thought on animals and spirituality for Compass on ABC TV. The Spirit of Things is heard across Australia each Sunday at 18:05PM AEST and Tuesday at 13:05 and Wednesday at 02.05 and online at www.abc.net.au/rn/spiritofthings. For 6 years (ending in January 2009) Kohn also was Producer and Presenter of The Ark on Radio National which focused on Religious History. Kohn is a popular speaker on Religion and Spirituality in Australia and she has published two books, The New Believers: Re-imagining God (HarperCollins 2004) and Curious Obsessions in the History of Science and Spirituality (ABC Books, now HarperCollins 2007).

Our Conference Dinner speaker:

Rev Dr Julian (Jools) Hamilton

Rev Dr Julian (Jools) Hamilton

Rev Dr Julian Hamilton is currently serving as the Methodist Chaplain to Trinity College Dublin. Prior to becoming an ordained minister of the Methodist Church in Ireland ‘Jools’ spent over a decade working in youth ministry – Firstly for the national youth office of the Methodist Church, and then to a much wider clientele. He has been a conference and retreat speaker/teacher in Ireland, the UK, Europe, America and Australia.

Founded ‘YouthSpirit’ an Irish based organisation created to resource youth ministry in Ireland and beyond. Through ten years of YS, worked with Churches in Ireland helping them create ways develop contextually relevant leadership. Delivered retreats/teaching on: Young people & conflict, Young people and theology, Sexuality, Missional evangelism, Celtic Flavours of faith.A regular speaker at Autumn Soul & Summer Madness in Ireland, NCYC & Summer Madness in Australia. Spring Harvest in UK. Jools has travelled to speak regularly in Sweden and Finland, and has spoken in events in USA.As chaplain the students, he has led many retreats and pilgrimage trips from college. Teams under his leadership have gone to Romania, South Africa, Ibiza, (with 24-7 prayer), America, France, and Palestine & Israel.